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Top 10 Cars With the Most Horsepower for the Money for 2016

By Benjamin Hunting

If you want to get the most horsepower for the money, there's a tried and true segment of the automotive industry that will never let you down: muscle cars. Simply put, muscle machines provide you with the biggest bang for the buck - in a straight line - of any car on the market, every single time. What you might not have known, however, is that you don't have to opt for the V-8 option in the majority of these rough and tumble coupes to stretch your dollar, as in many cases the entry-level V-6 or (dare we say it?) turbo four-cylinder motors will give you an even greater return on your investment.

Let's take a quick look at the top 10 cars with the most horsepower for the money for 2016.

1. 2016 Ford Mustang GT Coupe - $74.47 Per Horsepower

The 2016 Ford Mustang GT coupe's combination of affordable pricing and rambunctious eight-cylinder engine give it the most horsepower for the money of any car available for the current model year. The Ford Mustang GT will set you back $32,395, but it softens the blow somewhat by way of the 435 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque produced by its 5.0-liter V-8. This motor is matched with a six-speed manual transmission in base form, and a standard launch control feature allows the Mustang GT to reach 60-mph from a standing start in just 4.7 seconds.

2. 2016 Hyundai Genesis Coupe - $76.86 Per Horsepower

The 2016 Hyundai Genesis Coupe is a surprising number two on our list of the cars with the most horsepower for the money, as it doesn't have the same muscle-bound image as the more traditional fare streaming out of Detroit. Nevertheless, the Hyundai Genesis Coupe's standard 348 horsepower, 3.8-liter V-6 (also good for 295 lb-ft of torque), combined with its MSRP of $26,750 to finish just a couple dollars above the Mustang GT by our dollars-per-horsepower metric. Like the Ford, a six-speed manual gearbox is included free of charge, and 60-mph arrives about a half-second slower than it does for the Mustang.

3. 2016 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack - $78.34 Per Horsepower

The 2016 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack doesn't just give you a couple tons of metal for your money - you also get a heaping helping of horsepower. The Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack is outfitted with a 6.4-liter naturally aspirated V-8 that can be relied on to produce 485 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque, which is harnessed by a six-speed manual transmission. At $37,995, it's hard to argue with the absurd horsepower-to-dollars ration offered by this mega-coupe, which is also roomy enough to make a legitimate case for hauling five passengers in relative comfort.

4. 2016 Ford Mustang V6 Coupe - $79.56 Per Horsepower

Another Mustang? You better believe it: the most affordable version of the 2016 Ford Mustang, the V6 coupe, also happens to provide buyers with a hearty helping of horsepower under the hood. Equipped with a 3.7-liter V-6, the base Ford Mustang delivers 300 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque, and despite the lack of fanfare surrounding its presence in the Blue Oval's lineup, when equipped with a manual transmission its MSRP of just $23,985 makes it a strong contender in the value sweepstakes. This is especially true when you consider that it offers 28-mpg in highway driving to go with its respectable output figures.

5. 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS Coupe - $79.78 Per Horsepower

The 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS coupe has been completely redesigned for the current model year, bringing with it a slew of upgraded engine options. As with its Ford counterpart, it's the Chevrolet Camaro's eight-cylinder model, the SS, that gives you the most horsepower return for your money. Wearing a price tag of $36,300, the Camaro SS guarantees 455 horses and 455 lb-ft of torque, shifted via a six-speed manual transmission. Not only does this make the new Camaro the most powerful SS in history, but it also rockets it to 60-mph in a quick 4.0 seconds.

6. 2016 Chevrolet Camaro V6 Coupe - $81.17 Per Horsepower

Hot on the heels of its V-8 sibling - in value, if not performance - is the six-cylinder edition of the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro. The Chevrolet Camaro V6 coupe is now the middle child of the muscle car's line-up, and, as a result, has seen its price balloon somewhat to $27,185. Still, with 335 ponies and 284 lb-ft of torque on tap from a 3.6-liter V-6 engine that now offers direct fuel injection (coupled with a six-speed manual transmission), the six-cylinder Camaro remains an appealing option when measuring by horsepower for the money.

7. 2016 Ford Mustang EcoBoost - $81.91 Per Horsepower

The 2016 Ford Mustang EcoBoost is the final Ford entry on our list of cars with the most horsepower for the money - we promise - and despite offering a bit more grunt than the V-6 Mustang the extra cost of ownership drops it down a few rungs in comparison. The Ford Mustang EcoBoost is priced at $25,395 in coupe form, and its 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder promises 310 horsepower and 320 lb-ft of torque when whipped into a frenzy by its six-speed manual transmission. Fuel mileage is even better with the small-displacement Mustang, checking in at 32-mpg on the highway.

8. 2016 Dodge Challenger R/T - $86.00 Per Horsepower

The 2016 Dodge Challenger R/T makes its second appearance in our horsepower per dollar round-up, minus its Scat Pack engine this time but still plenty hairy for muscle enthusiasts. The Dodge Challenger R/T's 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 grinds out 372 horses and 410 lb-ft of torque, numbers that are somewhat overmatched by its hefty curb weight (5.8 seconds in the race to 60-mph) but which keep things relatively interesting once off the line. A six-speed manual gearbox comes hand-in-hand with the base Challenger R/T, which retails for the very reasonable MSRP of $31,995.

9. 2016 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat - $88.39 Per Horsepower

Batting clean-up for the 2016 Dodge Challenger is the eye-popping SRT Hellcat model, which throws down an enormous 707 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque. This ridiculous level of production from its supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 is enough to overcome the car's $65,490 starting price (which has grown since the model was first introduced last year). A six-speed manual strains to control the mighty SRT Hellcat's acceleration, which under perfect conditions rockets the coupe to 60-mph in well under five seconds. On the street, be prepared for more smoky burnout sessions than stoplight glories, unless you fit a set of drag radials under the car.

10. 2016 Chrysler 200 Limited 3.6 - $89.77 Per Horsepower

The 2016 Chrysler 200 Limited 3.6 is somewhat of an outlier on this list - no muscle car heritage, no real performance credibility, and yet still a significant amount of horsepower for the money. The secret is the Chrysler 200 Limited's 3.6-liter V-6 engine, which produces a respectable 295 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque and which is mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission. With a surprisingly low price of $26,485, the 200 Limited 3.6 posts an ask of $89.77 per horsepower, slipping just under the $90 mark and joining some fairly exclusive company.